If you are a tenant, I’m sure you have had an excuse as to why you could not pay your rent. If you are a home owner, I’m sure things have happened that make you late on your mortgage. We all experience delays one way or another. It’s how we handle it that differentiates whether you’re a struggling individual or an outright loser.
As a landlord I hear all kind of excuses. Sometimes they are lame but sometimes they are good. However, this latest excuse was just plain stupid. So stupid that I had to laugh after real ing the tenant out about priorities.
This is how it started: the tenant comes in and says I can’t pay my rent could we please work with her and not kick her out. Naturally I ask why can’t you pay, her response

I have brought you the receipts to show I’m not lying. I had to take my clothes to the cleaners which cost $200 and then I had to take the rest of my clothes to the laundry, which cost me $150. By time I bought groceries and paid my cell phone bill I had no money left for rent!

So, what she is telling me is that you are going to be the cleanest woman on the streets because you’re gonna be homeless. Where are your priorities. I believe it’s all in the upbringing. One thing my mother always told me is make sure your rent is paid. No matter what else comes up make sure you have a roof over your head because it doesn’t make sense to pay your light bill if you don’t have a home.

It’s really common sense. You’re more concerned with having clean clothes then a roof over your head. You’re going to put your family out in the street but your clothes will be clean. Come on, you really can’t be that stupid. Apparently this tenant was, and could not grasp the stupidity of her actions. All she kept pleading was that her clothes were dirty. I simply told her that they would not stay clean for long living on the streets.

What would you do with a tenant like this? Kick her to the curb? Work out a payment arrangement? Send her to the shelter? Or just see how the whole thing plays out. Let me know, I’m curious to see what the mentality on tenant excuses is now a days!